Eckhard Beger-Commodia Chest of Drawers

At Design Interviews

Interview with Eckhard Beger : Frank Scott: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?. Eckhard Beger : I have been interested in the aesthetics of nurbs curves for several years. At the same time, I have been impressed by a number of architectural works using organic shapes. By extension, I became interested in the use of organic shapes in furniture design allowing to overcome the limitations of plane surfaces. .Frank Scott: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?. Eckhard Beger : The main focus was to blend organic shapes with wood species of exceptional quality and art craftsmanship to create a purist piece of furniture. .Frank Scott: What are your future plans for this award winning design?. Eckhard Beger : My plans are to propose Commodia with selected combinations of precious wood species to reveal the individual characters of each different version. .Frank Scott: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?. Eckhard Beger : The design process (from the first conceptual ideas to its finalization) took about one and a half years. .Frank Scott: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?. Eckhard Beger : After its concept emerged in my mind I started designing Commodia for the furniture collection of my brand ArteNemus. I felt challenged by the use of wood as a material to realize organic shapes and surfaces. .Frank Scott: Is your design being produced or used by another company, or do you plan to sell or lease the production rights or do you intent to produce your work yourself?. Eckhard Beger : Commodia is brought to market by my company ArteNemus. I am working with two partners for the manufacturing of this chest of drawers. .Frank Scott: Where there any other designs and/or designers that helped the influence the design of your work?. Eckhard Beger : On a conceptual level I was influenced by architects like Calatrava or Ghery and their use of organic shapes and surfaces. .Frank Scott: Who is the target customer for his design?. Eckhard Beger : The target customer is a demanding furniture conoisseur looking for an exceptional creation combining refined design, exquisite materials and outstanding craftsmanship. He or she also appeciates the rarity of such a piece of decorative art. .Frank Scott: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?. Eckhard Beger : Commodia is the combination of the word « commode » (chest of drawers in French) and the word « commedia » (commedy in Italian). .Frank Scott: Which design tools did you use when you were working on this project?. Eckhard Beger : I used pencil, paper and eraser as well as a CAD and a rendering software in this project. .Frank Scott: What is the most unique aspect of your design?. Eckhard Beger : The unique aspect of Commodia is the use of wood as material for the organic surfaces. .Frank Scott: Who did you collaborate with for this design? Did you work with people with technical / specialized skills?. Eckhard Beger : I designed Commodia myself and I am cooperating with two partners for its manufacturing. .Frank Scott: What is the role of technology in this particular design?. Eckhard Beger : Advanced wood manufacturing technology (3 dimensional veneer technology) is essential for the manufacturing of the organic surfaces of the piece furniture. .Frank Scott: Is your design influenced by data or analytical research in any way? What kind of research did you conduct for making this design?. Eckhard Beger : The design is based on my ispiration and the approach is therefore basically product oriented. .Frank Scott: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?. Eckhard Beger : The biggest challenge is the manufacturing of the large organic surfaces with natural wood veneers. .Frank Scott: How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?. Eckhard Beger : Following the initial positive feedback I received and the advice from a friend of mine, I decided to submit Commodia to design competitions. .